


fainter than a Ghost

by Anonymous



Series: In dribs and drabs [2]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Aomine is a cop, Kagami is a firefighter, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-12
Updated: 2015-06-12
Packaged: 2018-04-02 23:24:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4077754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are a glass of water and pills on his bedside table with a note under them.</p><p>Kagami takes the note and squints at it. He glazes over the ugly handwriting while battling the headache away, then fury settles in as soon as he finishes reading it. Crumpling the note in his hand, Kagami tosses it across the room to nowhere particular.</p><p>"Why didn't you stay then? Asshole."</p><p>Or:<br/>Kagami wishes Aomine could stay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	fainter than a Ghost

♦♦♦

 

The first time Kagami Taiga sees Aomine Daiki years after their graduation, he stares stupidly. Aomine is traipsing through the door of Maji Burger, his black jacket hiked up a little, and Kagami is in his seat catching sight of Aomine's flashing badge and holster.

Accidentally, Aomine's eyes meet his with a single raised brow.

"Bakagami?"

Kagami blinks rapidly. "Uh, you're a cop?"

The surprise look on Aomine's face crumples into insulted, fast. "Got problem with that?"

What a weird way to reunite with your high school rival.

 

-

 

"Your movements were sloppy," says Kagami around the mouth of his bottle, eyeing Aomine sideways.

"Is that an attempt to soothe your heart after losing a game?" Aomine puts the orange ball under the bench so it won't roll away. "Weird one, I must say."

Kagami rolls his eyes. "Trust you to mince my words."

Aomine laughs quietly. He hitches up his shirt to wipe the dripping sweat off his chin. That's when Kagami glimpses a large, dark bruise, twice the size of his palm on Aomine's side. Kagami takes a firm hold of Aomine's hand that's grabbing his shirt.

Wide-eyed, Kagami asks. "What's that?"

"Uh…" Aomine's eyes follow his. "Bruise?"

"What happened?"

"Stopped a robbery. Got tackled."

Glaring daggers at Aomine, Kagami mutters under his breath. "You should've said something about this earlier."

"And missed the chance to kick your ass?" Aomine raises a brow. "Never," he brushes it off even before Kagami manages to reply. Aomine picks up his bottle. "I'm fine. No need to mother me. Satsuki's done that," he says with an air of finality.

It doesn't stop Kagami from lecturing him about his recklessness, though.

 

-

 

Kagami hears a knock on his door over the pouring rain outside. He shuffles to the door with a sigh, mumbling to himself about disturbing his day off. Opening the door, he's surprised to see a grumpy Aomine, who's drenched from hair to toe and possibly shivering in cold.

"Got locked outside my place with my keys inside. My landlord's coming tomorrow," Aomine offers an explanation without being requested, his voice slightly wavering. He glares at Kagami, and Kagami swears he sees a glimmer of hope in those dark blue eyes.

Kagami looks past Aomine’s shoulder. There's an army of dark clouds hovering over the neighbourhood, accompanied by a few claps of thunders. His eyes are back to Aomine's profile again, and the spark of hope in Aomine's eyes grows, this time with clattering of Aomine's teeth.

He sighs, and makes some space for Aomine to enter.

"Idiot."

 

-

 

He sends Aomine a text to play one-on-one one evening.

Aomine doesn't reply.

Kagami shrugs and sends text to his colleagues from the fire station to hang out.

He laughs so hard over the beers at his colleagues' lame jokes that night, having completely forgotten about Aomine's existence.

 

-

 

Aomine suddenly shows up a week later in front of his apartment without texting him first. He brings a plastic bag of cheeseburgers and Teriyaki Burgers and a pack of beers along.

"I'm bored," says Aomine. "Let me in?"

Kagami wants to punch Aomine hard. He wants to, like the desire is bubbling in his chest and threatening to burst. After weighing everything and staring at Aomine for so long that Aomine waves the plastic bag in his face to get his attention, Kagami lets Aomine in with laden heart.

Somehow, Kagami finds himself forgiving Aomine after three bites of his first cheeseburger. Although he doesn't know for what he forgave Aomine.

 

-

 

"You looked hot in your uniform," says Aomine suddenly, dribbling the ball to the hoop before slamming it in. The rusty hoop creaks noisily, filling the sudden silence that settles over the court.

The last bit of adrenaline rushes to Kagami's heart after being stopped at Aomine's sudden statement. "Wha—what?" Kagami stutters.

Aomine smirks.

Kagami digs into his memories. "We didn't get any emergency calls today, so I didn't wear my uniform? Well, yesterday we got—wait, did you stalk me?" He remembers about the tragic accident in Shinjuku, and feels a tremor of fear run through him.

"Think before act, Bakagami. Could've killed you." Aomine jogs toward the ball, his back on Kagami.

Kagami doesn't know what to think about these; Aomine stalking and worrying about him. It makes some part of Kagami do funny things, though.

 

-

 

One night, Aomine comes to his place with bandaged palm, slump shoulder as if it's been dislocated and shoved back into its place and a pinched look on his face. The fact that Aomine is leaning heavily against the wall, body scrunched up, good arm hugging his middle and panting loudly tells Kagami Aomine is in great pain.

"Shit—Aomine!"

"Hey," Aomine drawls then winces.

Without a word Kagami carefully helps Aomine stagger to the couch. Their movements are slow, one at the time as Aomine keeps wincing under his breath. It takes some time to cross the living room and Kagami worries that Aomine collapses even before reaching the couch. He watches as Aomine sinks deeper into the couch with a sigh of relief.

"What the fuck happened?" Kagami asks.

"Cat tried to steal my food," Aomine answers, his good arm over his eyes.

He's lying. But Kagami doesn't care about it. "Have you seen a doc?"

"Yep. Got painkillers. In my pocket. They're expensive."

"Does your parents know about this?"

"Nope."

"Momoi?"

"Nope."

Kagami sighs. "Aomine—"

"Your place is the closest."

Kagami feels warmth spread across his chest. He stops asking questions and nurses Aomine until he feels better. He even lets Aomine use his bed (his only bed).

 

-

 

The contrast sensations of Aomine's chapped and soft lips against his own throw Kagami off completely. The world stills for a moment, his mind going blank, and Kagami is aware of the soft, stuttering weight of Aomine's breath against his lips.

A brief second later, Kagami meets him halfway and kisses Aomine just as hard.

 

-

 

Aomine goes missing again.

"Fuck you!" Kagami throws his phone to the wall with a loud crash. The bits of his phone are scattered everywhere. He accidentally steps on one of the bits and curses Aomine loudly.

When Kagami buys a new phone three days later, there are no missed calls or texts from Aomine either.

His heart aches.

 

-

 

It's around four A.M. when Kagami wakes up with an arm around his waist. He's sufficiently confused, and everything is dark and blurry so Kagami blinks his eyes to clear everything up. Kagami looks over his shoulder and his breath catches in his throat when he sees Aomine's face illuminated by the light coming from his bedroom window.

"Aomine?" he asks, voice suffused with sleep.

Aomine hushes him with a kiss on his hairline. "Still too early. Talk tomorrow."

Kagami wants to ask him a lot of questions, like where he has been, how he did get in and sorts. However, his eyes are heavy and Aomine's warm breaths on the back of his nape are lulling him to sleep.

Sleep Kagami does.

 

-

 

They doesn't talk. There's no chance for them to talk because Aomine has left even before Kagami wakes up.

 

-

 

A girl on the bar buys Kagami a drink and winks at him.

The music is blaring into his ears. Everything is blurry around the edges. Kagami's head is pounding from having too much drinking but he accepts her offer nonetheless. She takes him by the wrist, leading him outside.

All of a sudden, he's yanked into a much broader, muscular chest, and some kind of argument ensues.

"…he's mine!" Kagami hears the voice say.

Kagami thinks he recognizes the voice but he can't recall it. Instead, he drifts off.

 

-

 

There are a glass of water and pills on his bedside table with a note under them.

Kagami takes the note and squints at it. He glazes over the ugly handwriting while battling the headache away, then fury settles in as soon as he finishes reading it. Crumpling the note in his hand, Kagami tosses it across the room to nowhere particular.

"Why didn't you stay then? Asshole."

 

-

 

Kagami agonizes over deleting Aomine's number from his phone.

 

-

 

He deletes it.

 

-

 

Hot. Scorching hot. Even in his heavy gears, Kagami feels hot seeping into his bones.

Fires are everywhere, licking everything in its way. Thick smokes obscure his vision. His instinct is screaming at him to leave the apartment immediately. However, his responsibility as a firefighter encourages him to keep searching for trapped people. So he forces his way through the burning room.

Kagami notices a crying lady in a corner. He rushes to the lady, edging around the burning furniture, and offers her his hand. She looks so puzzled, so broken, tears streaking down her face, and her movement is full of hesitancy.

Not wanting to waste time, Kagami simply yanks her up to her feet. "Sorry, ma'am. We're in hurry," and together, they bolt for the door.

Few steps away from the door, the floor shakes alarmingly. On instinct, Kagami desperately shoves the lady to the door just in the right time the floor collapses under him. He barely sees the lady stretch out her arm with her lips moving so fast before everything suddenly so far from his reach.

_Bakagami!!!_

Strange. Kagami wonders why he hears Aomine's voice of all people in this burning building. Aomine is not around, is he? Right, Aomine never stays, so it must be his imagination only.

Then he feels a crushing impact on his back.

Everything goes black.

 

-

 

Bright.

His eyes sting from the brightness. It takes him few rapid blinks for his eyes to adjust to the brightness. His brain is swimming in confusion. As he's regaining his sense of hearing, he listens to faint beeps from his right side.

He tries to move his hand, but it's on a plaster cast. Oh, his right leg too. A sharp pain strikes up his body at the sudden realization then dulls into faint throbs. A wince escapes him.

"Earth to Bakagami," says a voice. "Can you hear me?"

"Ao…mine?" he asks, throat scratchy.

"The one and only," Aomine smirks, hand reaching for a glass on the bedside table and a straw. "Here." Aomine helps him with the straw, and with a great amount of effort Kagami manages to take a sip before pain sweeps over his head.

Kagami lets his head fall back to the pillow. "…hospital?"

"Yep. The third floor collapsed, your captain told me. They found you under a pile of debris. Luckily, one of the piles didn't pierce your body—a close call, from what I heard. So they rushed you here. You were unconscious for a few days. You got broken arm and leg, survived from internal bleeding, scratches and bruises here and there and a mild concussion. But your spine, organs and puny brain are fine, so you'll live," Aomine ends it with a shrug.

"Yeah, live a painful life," he groans although he didn't really pay attention to Aomine’s explanation due to his throbbing head. The aching muscles are enough for him to reach to that conclusion.

"Told ya' to think before act," Aomine reminds him in a scathing tone. "You didn't listen."

Kagami's tired eyes rake over Aomine thoroughly, defensively. The person who has been entering and walking out of his life, whose presence feels even fainter than that of a ghost—temporary—yet somehow is able to leave a permanent trace in his life, has the nerve to lecture him.

With the combination of bottled-up frustration and drugs in his system, Kagami loses it.

"You weren't even there. You keep leaving me alone after popping out of nowhere, and expect me to listen to you? Go fuck yourself," he seethes since his scratchy throat wouldn't allow him to scream.

Aomine is silent at first. "You upset about that?"

"I'm happy—fuck no, I am upset. You were there, then you suddenly weren't. And I wished—"

"You wished me stayed?"

Kagami sucks in a breath, wondering how on the Earth Aomine could think of that possibility out of thousands.

"You wished me stayed?" Aomine repeats, patiently and calmly.

Option. Aomine is offering him an option, Kagami knows him that much. Everything depends on his answer, and both answer, the truth and another lie will spiral his life another direction.

"I don't know—"

"Did you wish me stayed?"

Clashed with a firm gaze from Aomine, Kagami has to let it out. "Yeah, I—"

"How about now?"

He blinks through the ache and confusion before his brain finally catches up with his hearing. Kagami nods weakly.

Aomine places a hand over his good one. "Then sleep."

Kagami wants to hold him close, kiss him breathless, but his body won't move. In the end, Kagami settles with linking their fingers together and clenching tightly so Aomine can never leave.

Smirking, Aomine, too, holds on tightly.

With the unspoken promise hanging between them, Kagami sleeps.

 

-

 

The next morning Kagami wakes to a gentle pinch on his nose.

"Wakey-wakey, Bakagami."

Kagami almost laughs out of overwhelming happiness.

 

♦♦♦


End file.
